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Posted on 09/06/2026 4:02:10 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
FORT WORTH, Texas (RNS) — At 9 a.m. on a scorching summer Saturday, nearly 100 people were already lined up outside Goldee's BBQ, a small, wooden-shack restaurant.
First in line was 30-year-old Thanh Huynh, who had been sitting in a lawn chair on the joint's rustic porch since 6:30 a.m.
"I have, like, a whole list, and I'm going to spend lots of money here. It'll be worth it," he said, laughing while rattling off a long order of meats and sides from his phone's Notes app as a sweet, smoky scent from nearby pits hung in the air.
Opened in 2020 by a group of his friends, the restaurant was named the No. 1 barbecue spot in the state by Texas Monthly a year later, and then won a Bib Gourmand award from the prestigious Michelin Guide, given for "great food at a great value."
The restaurant serves classic Texas barbecue like craft pork belly, sausage and ribs. But it also offers halal brisket, turkey and lamb — meat raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines.
At a time when Republican leaders are increasingly targeting the state's growing Muslim communities, barbecue joints like Goldee's that offer halal options are thriving in Texas. Across the state, Muslim pitmasters are gaining recognition for putting their own spin on one of Texas' most iconic culinary traditions.
At least a dozen barbecue spots now serve halal meats, including Yearby's Barbecue & Waterice, run by Black Muslim couple CJ and Sabrina Henley, soon-to-be in Plano, and Levant Mediterranean BBQ, a restaurant with locations in Houston and Frisco and whose all-beef menu includes a brisket shawarma sandwich.
"Now there are so many options, and for us to have highly rated barbecue, it's a blessing," said Haris Ghaffar, who drove an hour from Celina and stood in 90-degree weather for nearly two hours with a friend for the halal options at Goldee's.
Growing up in the 1990s, Ghaffar said a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich was one of the few halal meals he could eat while dining out. Back then, halal food was seen as serving a small community. Today, it's a multibillion-dollar industry that's part of the American culinary mainstream, said food writer Farhan Mustafa, who wrote about the rise of American halal barbecue for Bon Appétit magazine in 2025.
"Halal food is American food," said Mustafa. "It belongs on your plate. It belongs in the casual chat. It belongs in hip-hop tracks. It's the most American thing there is."
Mustafa said Muslims are part of a growing list of communities putting their stamp on Texas barbecue. "Whether they're first, second or third-generation Muslims or Muslim Americans or just Americans, they're bringing what they know and what excites them," he said.
Texas barbecue is typically defined by salt-and-pepper brisket and pork ribs, but this new crop of halal pitmasters is adding inventive twists, often based on their own family heritages.
Zain Shafi, a pitmaster and co-owner of Goldee's, previously ran Sabar Barbecue, a food truck that offered Pakistani-infused halal dishes, such as brisket with rub that included spices like bay leaf and coriander. He brought tandoori smoked turkey to Goldee's menu. And sourcing halal cuts, he said, was a natural choice because they are "the highest quality" meats.
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The two deer and the steer didn’t even put a scratch on the F-350. That thing is a TANK!
“A California boy who’s never been HUNGRY enough, LOL!”
True. Our property is literally “crawling” with deer. I have a pic of 18 of them in our back meadow a couple years ago.
I know that if/when the SHTF that could be food. Hope there are YouTube how-tos telling how to dress them. 😉
“Halal food is American food,” said Mustafa.”
No. It isn’t
L
Muslims aren’t good at rational arguments , it’s why they just kill people who leave their religion.
A rationalization isn’t necessarily rational.
Your post-apocalyptic skill sets are truly awesome!
I don’t think I’ll live long enough to master the perfect Texas-Style BBQ, though. ;)
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